Voters in Georgia's 6th congressional district are paying very close attention to the GOP maneuvering on health care and they don't like what they see one bit. A new poll from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution shows that just 25 percent of constituents approve of the House Republicans' healthcare repeal bill, while fully 62 percent have an unfavorable view of it. Health care also ranked as the top issue of importance to voters there, writes Tamara Hallerman:
More than 80 percent of the 745 likely voters surveyed last week in an Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll listed health care as an “extremely important” or “very important” issue for them as they’ve determined whether to vote for Republican Karen Handel or Democrat Jon Ossoff in the upcoming special election.
The issue ranked high in the eyes of more voters than any other surveyed, including taxes, abortion and transportation. Government spending was second.
Specifically, the cost of health care was seen a top issue across every political party, race and age group polled: 94 percent of likely voters surveyed said they were “extremely concerned” or “very concerned” about the issue.
The poll also showed Democrat Jon Ossoff leading Republican Karen Handel 48-44 51-44 percent in advance of their June 20 runoff (though another poll from WXIA/SurveyUSA poll had them tied at 47 percent).
That lead is likely partly due to their positions, but it's also due to the ground game Ossoff and his army of volunteers have put together.
Consider this: A majority of voters — 54 percent — told pollsters commissioned by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that they have been contacted in person by Democrat Jon Ossoff’s campaign. About one-quarter have been reached face-to-face by Republican Karen Handel’s backers.
Remember, Ossoff's campaign has been largely funded by small-dollar donors while Handel's has been fueled by PACs. Clearly Ossoff has put a great deal of emphasis on person-to-person contact.